Water main break causes boil order

Tuesday

Mar 14, 2017 at 12:01 AM

By JEFF MEEK / Managing editor

A large 14-inch water main break last week caused the Hot Springs Village Property Owners’ Association to issue a precautionary boil order. The affected area was bordered by Terlingua on the west, Highway 5 to the east and north of DeSoto Boulevard, as well as subdivisions Salvatierra, Fonsagrada and Saldana. A notice was also sent to the Arkansas Department of Health.“This was a precautionary notice only because that section of our water system lost pressure,” said public utilities director Jason Temple. “The difference between this and other leaks is that with other leaks we still had water pressure throughout the system. It’s when you lose pressure that there is the possibility of contaminants getting into the system. This one was so big it drained tank A-3. We probably lost nearly a million gallons of water. Someone told me it sounded like a small bomb went off when it blew. Then came the rush of water,” Temple added.Temple explained the line broke in the middle of a joint, perhaps because of a shifting rock, a weak spot in the pipe, ground movement or some other factor. “Something caused that pipe to break and split open along its length,” he said.During our March 10 interview Temple received a call from the water plant saying water samples were being delivered to the Health Department for testing. Rescission of the boil order is predicated on test results.Temple praised the POA crew that worked on the blow out. “Our crew really jumped on this and had it repaired within hours,” he noted.Also, the line was flushed with air to remove any possible contaminants. Temple wanted the public to know that if they hear air coming from their faucets they should leave that faucet open to help flush air from the system. “Keep it open until you get a continuous flow of water,” said Temple.The POA lifted the boil order notice midday on Saturday, March 11.